We Already Have the Tools
Here’s a number that should change how we think about methane: 75 percent. That’s the share of energy-sector methane emissions that could be eliminated using technologies we already have. Not future breakthroughs. Not experimental systems awaiting another decade of R&D. Tools that exist right now, many of which generate enough revenue from captured gas to cover their own costs.
The IEA’s Global Methane Tracker 2025 lays this out clearly. Despite growing international commitments to cut methane, energy-sector emissions remain near record highs. But the gap between what we’re emitting and what we could realistically prevent isn’t a technology problem — it’s a deployment problem.
The Economics Are Already There
What makes the 75 percent figure so compelling is the economics behind it. A significant portion of methane abatement measures in the oil, gas, and coal sectors actually pay for themselves. When you capture methane instead of venting or flaring it, you’re recovering a saleable product. The gas has value. The infrastructure investment generates returns.
This isn’t theoretical. Facilities that deploy capture systems — whether that’s vent gas recovery, leak detection and repair programs, or biodigestion of organic feedstocks — are seeing real payback periods. The captured methane becomes compressed natural gas, electricity, or process heat. It goes from liability to asset.
Why Deployment Lags Behind the Data
If the technology works and the economics pencil out, why are emissions still near record levels? Part of the answer is inertia. Existing infrastructure was built without capture in mind. Retrofitting takes capital, planning, and regulatory clarity that many operators still lack.
But the policy environment is shifting. Across OECD nations, new frameworks are mandating emissions reporting, expanding landfill gas capture requirements, and creating financial incentives for methane recovery. The regulatory floor is rising, which means the economic case for early action is getting stronger — not weaker.
Scale Matters — And Small Scale Works
One of the persistent myths about methane capture is that it only works at industrial scale. That’s increasingly untrue. Containerized anaerobic digestion systems can process organic waste from a single neighborhood or commercial district. Small-scale biogas generators can convert food waste and green waste into usable energy at the community level.
The technology scales down as well as it scales up. A single well-designed digester serving a few blocks can prevent meaningful quantities of methane from ever reaching the atmosphere — while producing energy and soil amendments as byproducts.
The 75 Percent Opportunity
The IEA’s data makes the situation clear: we’re sitting on one of the most cost-effective climate interventions available. Methane is roughly 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year horizon. Every ton we capture and repurpose delivers outsized climate benefit compared to almost any other action we could take.
The technology exists. The economics work. The policy momentum is building. The remaining question is pace — how quickly we choose to close the gap between what’s possible and what’s actually happening on the ground.